


Hello Neighbor

by Avengerz



Category: Black Panther (2018), Black Panther (Comics), Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cats, Fluff, M/M, Pen Pals, Teacher!T'Challa, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 08:51:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7611550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avengerz/pseuds/Avengerz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a prompt on <a href="http://imagineironpanther.tumblr.com">ImagineIronPanther:</a></p><p>"Nonpowered!AU - Tony's cat often sneaks using the emergency stairs to the apartment below and Tony's been feeling kinda jealous here, so he attaches a message on her collar to whoever's been bribing his cat with expensive cat treat. To his surprise, he got a reply and he began corresponding with the guy who turned out to be interesting and smart. One day there's a knock on his door and it's the mystery guy with his cat and an invitation to dinner."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hello Neighbor

 

"Jarvis!” Tony rattles the cat bell again and strides into the kitchen. “Here, kitty, kitty!” The expected jingle of Jarvis’s collar and the light click of his nails over the tile floor doesn’t come, and Tony’s frown deepens. It seems his cat’s snuck off yet again.

Resigned, Tony crosses to the east wall of his condo and heaves one of the windows open to reveal the fire escape. “Jarvis!” He calls again. For another moment, there’s no reply.

Then the metal stairs creak lightly and Tony grins at the sight of his cat trotting up them. “Hey bud,” he says as Jarvis jumps gracefully back into the apartment. “You’re giving me a complex here. I spend tens of dollars on cat toys and it’s still not good enough for you? What does that dude have that I don’t?”

Jarvis sniffs gracefully and proceeds to ignore Tony in favor of curling up in a patch of carpet warmed by the sun. Tony rolls his eyes and sits down at his drafting table. Rent’s not going to pay itself, after all.

 

* * *

 

One morning, before Tony leaves for work, on an impulse, he attaches a note to Jarvis’s collar. It reads, in a hasty scribble, the following:

_“To whom it concerns,_

_Kindly stop bribing my cat to leave me. There’s enough of that going on in my life already. Why do you think I have a cat in the first place? Besides the fact that cats are awesome._

_Anyways. Please stop._

_\- T.S.”_

He’s not sure what he’s expecting. Well, he knows what he’s hoping for: that the asshole in the apartment below him will stop luring Jarvis away. What he’s not expecting is a reply. The note, written on thick paper in perfect penmanship, says this:

_“Dear T.S.,_

_I apologize for stealing your cat, though I assure you I had no attention to keep him forever, despite how ‘awesome’ he is. He seemed attracted by the food I set out for my own cats. I could give you the brand name, if you’d like. I could also give you the name of a good locksmith for your window, if it truly bothers you so much. In the meantime, I’d be heartless to resist your cat’s pleading for treats when he does show up at my window._

_Sincerely,_

_T’Challa”_

Tony’s torn between anger and amusement at first. “‘The name of a good locksmith,’ huh?” he snorts. Jarvis just tilts his head into Tony’s hand for scratches behind the ears, and Tony settles into amusement.

Despite his better judgement, the next morning he clips another note to Jarvis’s collar.

_“T’Challa,_

_I suppose I can’t ask you to resist Jarvis’s begging. I know how brutal those eyes of his can be. What’s the name of the cat food, though? I don’t need a locksmith, thank you very much, but I can try to beat you at your own game. We’ll see where Jarvis’s loyalties really lie._

_May the best cat owner win._

_\- T.S.”_

And that’s how it begins.

* * *

 

_“Judging by the fact that I’m able to respond to your message, I do believe I’m still managing to ‘seduce your cat with fancy-schmancy cat treats,’ as you so eloquently put it._

_Sincerely,_

_T’Challa”_

 

_“Oh yeah, laugh it up. I’m still hoping you won’t read this note. If you do, though, what’s the name of your cats? I’m curious._

_-T.S.”_

 

_“I do believe you Americans have a saying regarding curiosity in regards to cats. If you must know, though, their names are Okoye and Newton._

_Sincerely,_

_T’Challa”_

 

_“‘You Americans?’ Where are you from? And don’t start, I get enough lectures for my reckless dashing off in the names of science and curiosity from my friends. Okoye, though, that’s cool. Sounds African? I assume Newton’s namesake is Sir Isaac Newton. Nerdy. Which is totally cool, by the way, it’d be pretty hypocritical of me to mock nerdiness._

_\- T.S.”_

 

_“I’’m staying in New York for a few months while I lecture at NYU, but my homeland is a small country in Africa. I doubt you’ve heard of it. It seemed apt to name one my cats after one of the men who helped found the field of study to which I’ve devoted my life. Okoye is a tribute to one of my dearest childhood friends._

_Do you do that often, then? Dash recklessly off into danger and message strangers via cat?_

_Sincerely,_

_T’Challa”_

 

_“Oh, so you’re a physics professor? That’s awesome! I’m an engineer, of sorts, so practical physics keep me in business. And yeah, I tend to forfeit safety procedures in the favor of creating scientific marvels._

_\- T. Stark_

_(PS I think Jarvis is gaining weight. I blame you.)”_

 

And so it goes.

* * *

 

_“I’m presenting my idea for new prosthetic development to the board of directors today. Wish me luck!”_

_“I do wish you luck, though I know you won’t need it. You’ve worked hard on this project. Please do tell me how it goes, though!”_

_“Well, it was a struggle, and I had to make more concessions than I really wanted to, but you’ll see the first line of SI prosthetics hit the markets next spring!”_

_“I’m happy for you, Tony. Well done.”_

* * *

 

_“I know it’s rather unfair of me to say, but I must admit that I am in constant awe of how absurdly idiotic students can be sometimes. Grading papers is always an exercise in frustration.”_

_“Aw, hang in there. I bet you’re a great teacher, though. It’s only September still, you’ll whip them into shape.”_

_“I do hope so.”_

_“Should I try to dig up some of my mom’s Italian recipes for dinner tonight or just resign myself to Chinese takeout?”_

_“From what you’ve told me of your cooking skills, I’m not certain Italian is the best idea. I’d hate for you to burn the apartment building down.”_

Tony laughs at the latest note as he kicks off his shoes. He’ll put it in his nightstand drawer later, where he keeps all of T’Challa’s notes (which isn’t creepy, no matter what Rhodey says), but for now he sets it on his drafting table as he takes a shower.

He realizes only a few moments after he’s finally scrubbed a truly stupendous amount of oil from his hair and changed into more comfortable clothes that Jarvis has disappeared again. It’s unusual, as his cat’s usually content to sprawl with Tony on the couch and shamelessly beg for his sweet and sour chicken, but Tony’s not too concerned about it. T’Challa must have set some more treats out, but Jarvis will come back. He always does.

Tony starts up a fresh pot of coffee as he rifles through the takeout menus he keeps in the kitchen. Tonight’s shaping up to be another all-nighter, with the blueprints for his new water filtration system only half-finished. He finally locates the menu from his favorite Chinese place just as there’s a knock on the door.

It’s nearly seven, Tony’s not expecting anyone, but he pulls the door open with the kind of reckless abandon befitting the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He can imagine Happy’s irritation.

Tony’s confronted with the sight of his cat, cradled in a stranger’s arms. He raises an eyebrow at Jarvis’s smug expression before looking up at the man who’s apparently kidnapped his cat. The man smiles at him and, oh, _wow_ , weren’t physics professors supposed to all be old and ugly, not breathtakingly gorgeous with laughing brown eyes and a perfect smile?

“Hello, Tony,” the man says, and for once in his life, Tony can’t actually summon any words, to shocked by the absolute masterpiece standing in front of him. The man’s smile starts to fade - a tragedy - and says, hesitantly, “I’m T’Challa, your neighbor? I thought you might be concerned with Jarvis sneaking out this late at night, so I-”

“Yeah, yeah, I-” Tony interrupts, like an absolute _idiot_. “No, I guessed who you were. Sorry, you just never mentioned that you’re fucking hot.” Whoops, did he actually say that out loud? “See, there I go again, I have no brain to mouth filter and I’m reckless, sorry.”

T’Challa shakes his head, his smile returning. “No, it’s okay. I must admit, I almost said the same about you.” Tony stares at T’Challa, a wide smile of his own slowly spreading across his face. They’re caught for a moment, staring at eachother with matching smiles, and then Jarvis growls lowly and paws at T’Challa’s arm, apparently fed up with being carried. T’Challa chuckles and gently drops the cat to the ground, where Jarvis makes a bee-line for the kitchen.

“You, uh, you want to come in?” Tony jerks a thumb into the room behind him. “I’m about to order Chinese. As you know.”

T’Challa chuckles. “Ah yes, I remember your description of the omelette. Quite literally a hot mess.” He steps into the apartment, and in the brighter lighting _wow_ , that long-sleeve black t-shirt is really working for him.

Tony swallows thickly and retreats to the kitchen. “If I might be so bold,” T’Challa’s words follow him, and Tony glances back to see the man looking almost shy. “I’m a bit more adept in the kitchen. I’d be honored to attempt to do your mother’s recipes justice.”

Tony blinks. “Why, T’Challa, are you offering me dinner?”

“That depends on whether or not you say yes,” the man says wryly, and Tony laughs.

“Good thing I’m saying yes, then.”

Jarvis meows loudly, impatient for dinner, and T’Challa grins widely at him and clatters around in the kitchen and sneaks Jarvis bits of sausage and asks about Tony’s latest designs and an hour later they sit down to relatively simple but delicious spaghetti and meatballs and, yeah, Tony could get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find more IronPanther at [ImagineIronPanther](http://imagineironpanther.tumblr.com) and myself at [my tumblr!](http://anthonyfuckingstark.tumblr.com)
> 
> As always, comments are absolutely adored, especially because I don't own a cat and am working off of stereotypes more than anything else when it comes to writing their behavior.


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